Analysis of Operational Efficiency and Cost Differences between Local and General Anesthesia for Vitreoretinal Surgery.

There has been a growing trend of using local anesthesia (LA) compared to general anesthesia (GA) over the last two decades in VR surgery. We aim to answer the following question: what is the institutional benefit of LA versus GA use in operation-room time, anesthesia duration, earlier discharge from an outpatient surgery facility, and the estimated cost savings? We conducted a retrospective analysis of 1476 eyes that underwent vitreoretinal surgery over a 6-year period from a single site; 61.8% of patients received GA and 38.

Development and Evaluation of a Risk-Adjusted Measure of Intraoperative Hypotension in Patients Having Nonemergent, Noncardiac Surgery.

Background: Intraoperative hypotension is common and associated with organ injury and death, although randomized data showing a causal relationship remain sparse. A risk-adjusted measure of intraoperative hypotension may therefore contribute to quality improvement efforts.

Methods: The measure we developed defines hypotension as a mean arterial pressure <65 mm Hg sustained for at least 15 cumulative minutes.

A quadruplex real-time PCR assay for rapid detection and differentiation of the Clostridium botulinum toxin genes A, B, E and F.

Clostridium botulinum is the aetiological agent of botulism, a disease marked by flaccid paralysis that can progress to asphyxiation and death. This species is defined by the production of one of the botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), which are the most potent toxins known. Because of their potency, these toxins have the potential to be used as biological weapons, and therefore C.